Sam's Tale
by xCandyFloss86x
Summary: Sam tells his children about his journey to Mount Doom, Mordor, with Frodo, and explains how he felt and how it affects him now.
1. Chapter One

Hey! Well everyone knows the drill here; I do not own any of the characters, Middle-Earth, the Ring, etc. They are all © to the genius we all know as JRR Tolkien!  
  
All of this fiction is written in Sam's point of view, because the whole experience of the destruction of the Ring deeply affected him (although not as much as Frodo, but I imagine it was still quite a bad experience for him), and most people agree he is a true hero in the story. So what I'm trying to do here is let people know how Sam must have felt throughout the journey, and I've tried to imagine it the best I can!  
  
Reviews will be appreciated; it doesn't matter what kind. Good reviews are great, but I would appreciate it if they're honest ones. Criticism will be accepted too, but only if it's given to me from someone who knows what they're talking about, and if they tell me what I can do to make things right. A review that says, "this is crap" is not going to have much notice taken to it.  
  
[EDIT]Ok, I've found the names of Sam & Rosie's children now, they've been updated and corrected![/EDIT]  
  
Now with all that said, on with the story! Enjoy!  
  
Chapter One~  
  
I pushed open the huge round green door and immediately I caught the aroma of chips and fried fish. My two children - Elanor and Frodo - were sitting on the wooden floor playing, with toys scattered around. As soon as they seen me, Elanor dropped her doll, Frodo dropped his book, and they both rushed over and wrapped their arms around my legs, giggling. Elanor is my oldest child, who is now five years old, and Frodo is the youngest, he is two years younger than Elanor. Elanor looks just like her mother Rosie, with curly blonde hair, and has the same fun uplifting attitude that I loved so much about her mother. Frodo was quite the opposite, with dark hair, and he was quieter, but still fun and extremely loving. He was always seen giving Rosie a hug, at least five times a day.  
  
"Welcome home daddy!" Elanor exclaimed, holding her arms up and standing on tiptoes waiting to be carried.  
  
I lifted her light, small body up and hugged her close. "Hello Elanor. Have you been good to your mother?"  
  
"Very good," she replied, resting her head on my shoulder sleepily. She yawned quietly in my ear and I smiled down at Frodo, who just looked up at me with those piercing blue eyes.  
  
"Alright Frodo?" I asked and he nodded shyly, giving me a smile.  
  
"Good," I smiled back, and then I looked at Elanor from the corner of my eye. "I hope you're not going to sleep right there on my shoulder, young lady!"  
  
She giggled again and wrapped her arms round my neck gently. "Of course I'm not daddy."  
  
"Sam?" Rosie - my wife of four years - called out from the kitchen.  
  
"I'm here," I shouted back. I put Elanor back down on the floor, ruffled her curly blonde hair in a playful way and walked into the kitchen. "Something smells good."  
  
"Your favourite," Rosie grinned, letting me taste the fish.  
  
"Certainly is," I smiled back, hugging her then kissing her on the cheek.  
  
"Have you had a good day?" she asked, grabbing the yellow plates from the cupboard. I followed her to the table where she set four plates out.  
  
"It's been fine," I replied simply. I pulled out a brown chair and sat down.  
  
"Good, good," she smiled at me, going back to the stove to check the chips. "The chips are almost done. Would you please bring Elanor and Frodo? They've been complaining that they're hungry for quite some time now!"  
  
I nodded although she wasn't facing me, and walked out of the room. I almost slipped on a toy car, which was one of the many toys covering the floor.  
  
"What a mess you two have made!" I said, picking up the car. "I almost broke this."  
  
I handed the red car back to Frodo, who took it eagerly and started rolling it across the floor.  
  
"Is dinner ready yet, daddy?" Elanor asked.  
  
"Yes, it is ready," I replied, helping her up. "Go and sit at the table, your mother is putting it out."  
  
She ran into the kitchen and I knelt down to Frodo's level. "Come on then young man," I said, picking him up.  
  
I walked into the kitchen, where Rosie was just putting the food out. Elanor was sitting waiting patiently, and I put Frodo in his high chair.  
  
"Frodo will need his bib," Rosie reminded me as she put the chips on Elanor's plate.  
  
"Oh yes, I forgot," I replied, walking to the hanger where his bib was usually hung.  
  
"Daddy might need one too!" Elanor shouted loud enough for the whole Shire to hear.  
  
"What are you trying to say Elanor?" I replied, mocking offence. "Daddy doesn't make a mess, like you!"  
  
She stuck her tongue out and tucked into her chips, completely forgetting about the argument she'd just started now she had her food.  
  
I picked the bib up and put it on Frodo. "There we go," I said, hugging him gently. I helped cut up the fish that Rosie had just landed on his plate, and then I sat down myself.  
  
Soon Rosie had sat down herself, and we all ate, whilst talking, laughing, and everything else that a perfectly close family does. And I do believe that's what we are: a perfectly close family. I love Rosie and my two children so much; I couldn't imagine life without them.  
  
"Sam, I found that book today," Rosie said suddenly.  
  
"What book?" I asked, taking another bite of my fish. I had quite a few books, but some were more special than others.  
  
"That red one, the one that Frodo gave you last year."  
  
"Oh. That book," I replied slowly, looking down.  
  
"That's my name!" Frodo giggled, trying to pick up his chips with his hands.  
  
"You use your fork, dear," Rosie smiled, grabbing Frodo's fork.  
  
"Yes, you're named after the most famous and bravest Hobbit! Frodo was a friend of mine," I replied. "Well, I was his gardener for a little while. You know when daddy pulls out those nasty weeds out of our garden?"  
  
"Yes," Elanor said, and Frodo nodded along with her.  
  
"Well that's what I did to Mr. Frodo's garden," I explained, leaning back on the chair quite proudly. "I always made sure he had a beautiful garden. But he became a close friend to me, after I joined him for a quest."  
  
"What kind of quest, daddy?" Frodo asked.  
  
"A dangerous one," I replied, leaning on the table. "Come into the living room."  
  
Elanor and myself stood up from our chairs, and Rosie helped Frodo from his chair. We all walked into the living room, where Rosie sat down near the fire, and Elanor and Frodo sat down in front of the red chair I sat down on.  
  
"Are you telling us a story daddy?" Elanor asked with excitement in her eyes.  
  
"Yes, daddy is going to tell you a story," I smiled back at her, reaching for that very book Rosie was telling me about. 


	2. Chapter Two

Thanks for the reviews so far, here's the next chap!  
  
Chapter Two~  
  
I flipped open the thick red book, and started from page one. "There and Back Again, a Hobbit's Tale by Bilbo Baggins," I read out loud, then looked at my children's faces. "Old Bilbo Baggins is Frodo's uncle."  
  
I looked further down the page and read again. "The Lord of the Rings by Frodo Baggins. Get comfortable children, this is one long story."  
  
Elanor took hold of her woollen doll, and Frodo wrapped himself in a small blanket Rosie had warmed up for him.  
  
"It all started on the night of Old Bilbo's 111th birthday. All the Hobbits in the Shire were invited; Tooks, Brandybucks, Grubbs, Chubbs, Hornblowers, and even more! Our Old Bilbo was a friend to everyone, young or old, Hobbit or Elf."  
  
"I like Elves," Elanor said softly, smiling.  
  
"Me too, Elves are wonderful creatures," I replied, reflecting the smile. "Your mother was also at that party, dancing to the music. I had liked her for a long time." I grinned at the memory.  
  
"That was quite a night!" Rosie giggled, then looked at Elanor and Frodo. "Your father didn't bother to ask for a dance, oh no. He just went straight in by himself, I had no choice!"  
  
I coughed loudly. "That was because Frodo pushed me into you!" I looked back at the book and scanned the page. "So, towards the end of the party, Bilbo did what I thought must have been a little party trick, for the little Hobbit children. He stood up to make a speech and POOF!" I said, raising my hands in the air. Elanor and Frodo leant back slightly. "He disappeared! Right into thin air!"  
  
"How?" Frodo asked, obviously amazed. Rosie walked out of the room quietly, so she didn't disturb the children.  
  
I tapped my nose. "We'll find that out soon, Frodo. A few days later, after leaving The Green Dragon Pub – where your mother worked – I walked home with Frodo. I couldn't help my curiosity when I overhead Gandalf – a Wizard you may have heard of – say something about a Ring and a dark lord. I hid in the bushes below Frodo's window, listening."  
  
Rosie then put a drink of water on the small table near my chair and I smiled quickly as a way of saying 'thank you'.  
  
"Then, your silly old father here stepped in a twig and crunch!" I exclaimed, making a crunching noise. "Gandalf heard and threw me on the table, while I was trying to convince him I hadn't been eavesdropping. A word of advice children: never eavesdrop on a wise wizard, you never know what will happen to you!"  
  
"What did he do to you?" Elanor gasped.  
  
"He threw me on the table, and forced me to tell him what I'd heard. I was so scared I was stuttering, I had never seen Gandalf that way before. But he did not hurt me, Elanor, it is alright!" I took a quick drink of water then looked back down at the book. "He told me he wanted me to assist Frodo on a quest, to destroy a ring. But children, this was no ordinary ring. This was a magic, evil ring, a nasty piece of work by Sauron," I explained, rounding my finger and thumb. "Pure gold it was, an absolutely beautiful ring too. All we had to do was travel to Bree, where we would meet Gandalf again after he visited Saruman. Then, as we thought, we could go back home."  
  
"That doesn't sound very interesting daddy," Frodo said, pouting.  
  
"Oh, there was more to come, son," I replied. "The next morning at sunrise, myself, Gandalf and Frodo set out for Bree. Gandalf made me promise something, and it was a promise I kept throughout the whole quest, and even after it. It was 'Don't you lose him Samwise Gamgee!' and I never did. You know, Old Bilbo used to say something. He used to say 'It's a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.' Frodo told me that."  
  
I looked at my children again and smiled, as their angelic faces paid attention to every word I said.  
  
"We ended up in a field full of corn and crops, then suddenly, Merry and Pippin jumped out! You know Merry and Pippin don't you children?"  
  
"Yes!" Elanor grinned excitedly.  
  
"Yes, well those are the two. They were stealing carrots and other vegetables from Farmer Maggots crops, the naughty little rascals. Pippin fell onto Frodo, crushing him almost. I panicked and pulled Pippin off him, I didn't want him hurt before we'd even left the Shire. He was all right though; Pippin is not so heavy himself. But then, we heard a dog bark and had to run for it. Merry, Pippin and Frodo ran out of the field, and to the edge of a hill. Silly me, I wasn't paying attention and I bumped into them, sending us all tumbling down the hill."  
  
I made gestures with my hands, trying to show them what we looked like tumbling down the hill after each other. Then I slammed my hand on the chair arm.  
  
"Bang!" I said loudly. "We all fell in a heap on the floor, one on top of another, barely able to move. Our worries soon went when we seen the mushrooms though, loads of mushrooms just sitting there waiting to be picked! Frodo walked off, whilst myself, Merry and Pippin went to collect the mushrooms. Mr. Frodo then told us to get off the road quickly. I didn't hesitate, Gandalf had told us to stay off the roads in case the Nazgul came, but I had forgotten I suppose. We ran under a tree, and tried to hide ourselves as best as we possibly could. It felt as if my heart was in my throat, thumping away. It was so loud I was sure the Nazgul could hear it."  
  
"What is the Nazgul?" Frodo asked quietly, sitting cross-legged.  
  
"Well dear Frodo, the Nazgul are those who come and look for the Ring. They are neither dead nor living, and you can only see them because of their long, black cloaks. They travel on horseback, which was unlucky for us, as we were travelling on foot. It was disgusting under that tree; worms, spiders and the sort were crawling either over or under us. But we couldn't make a sound. Not one," I fell to a whisper, holding my finger over my mouth. "Because if we did, the Nazgul would hear us. He was leaning over the tree, and I feared he would see us, but Nazgul do not have the best vision in the world. He didn't seem to suspect anything, but he wouldn't move, so maybe he could smell something. Nazgul have a very keen sense of smell, don't you know?"  
  
"What happened?" Elanor asked, hugging her doll as if for protection.  
  
"Frodo slipped into a trance, unnoticed by Merry and Pippin, and by me for a little while. The Ring was slowly making its way to his finger, he couldn't resist it, and he was under some sort of spell. I noticed just in time, and I had to hit him to take him out of his trance. It worked, and he put the Ring away again. But we still had the Nazgul problem. Thanks to our Merry's fast thinking, he threw a bag of vegetables in the opposite direction, and the Nazgul chased after it as quick as a flash. He didn't even think about it, and off he went. We took that as our opportune moment and ran as fast as our little Hobbit legs would carry us."  
  
I took another drink of water and turned the page, sighing as I did. "We went until nightfall without seeing the Nazgul again. It was scary, I'll assure you. We barely dared to speak. What if the Nazgul heard us? Would I ever be able to go home again? It was awful, not knowing what would be the outcome from this quest. Back in the beginning, I don't think I understood just how serious this quest was, but deep down I think I knew that it was going to be a long time before I returned to the Shire. I just didn't want to accept it."  
  
I looked at my children again, and I shook my head. "Anyway. It was dark and quiet, no sound at all. No birds, no rabbits, just pure silence. Then we saw him. The Nazgul was back. We hid behind a tree, but we knew we couldn't stay there forever. Frodo and myself had to leave the Shire, to meet Gandalf at Bree. Merry knew of a way to get to Bree, so we started to run for a ferry. But then the Nazgul just suddenly appeared from behind some bushes. Mr. Frodo didn't run as fast as Merry, Pippin and I, but he did manage to jump on as the ferry left."  
  
Elanor and Frodo smiled, probably happy about the fact that Frodo made it onto the ferry.  
  
"It was twenty miles until we reached Brandywine Bridge, and we sailed on the water, in silence and in fear. There was no source of light anywhere, just darkness. I was surprised we even made it to Brandywine Bridge in complete darkness."  
  
"I'm scared of the dark," Frodo said.  
  
"Oh, if you were on this quest son, darkness would have been on the bottom of your list of fears. I had never experienced true fear until I did this," I smiled at him. "It was raining hard by the time we reached Bree, and although we had cloaks on our hair still got soaked. My feet were muddy and cold; we weren't walking on soft grass like we do in the Shire. We were walking on sharp branches, mud, leaves, rocks and stones."  
  
"Ouch," Elanor said to herself.  
  
"Yes," I laughed softly. "We were given orders by Gandalf to meet him at The Prancing Pony. The Prancing Pony is a bar, with beds to sleep in upstairs. Mr. Frodo asked for Gandalf, but he had not come. What were we going to do now? We had no idea where to go, or what to do with this Ring of ours. Well, Frodo's. All we could do now was wait. So we sat and had some drinks, waiting. And waiting. But he never arrived. What I'd noticed though, is that a dark, shady looking person was sitting in the corner of the room, just staring at us..." 


	3. Chapter Three

Again, thanks for the reviews. I've taken advice into consideration so I hope the story is improving!  
  
Chapter Three~  
  
Rosie sat down next to the fire, near Frodo, and pulled him gently onto her lap, where he leant against her chest.  
  
"Mr. Frodo asked someone who worked in the bar who this mysterious man was, and he explained he is of the dangerous kind, someone who we may like to avoid. And he did look dangerous, sitting there smoking a pipe slowly, with most of his face covered up. We were told his name was Strider."  
  
I saw Rosie rubbing Frodo's back and I smiled as I looked up.  
  
"Then Mr. Frodo went over to the bar with Pippin, and he did not return for quite some time. When I had found Pippin, I didn't know where Mr. Frodo had gone, so I went for Merry so we could look for him. Then, we noticed Strider had gone. I feared he could have hurt Frodo, so we grabbed anything that could substitute as a weapon. We walked over to the door, and counted one, two..." I lowered my voice and leant down. "Three!" I exclaimed, getting louder. "I pushed the door open, and just as I had expected Strider had Frodo. I told him to let him go, threatening to hurt him if he didn't."  
  
"Daddy, did you hurt him?" Elanor asked quietly.  
  
"No. It turned out Strider was there to help us, he knew Frodo was carrying the Ring," I replied. "We went to sleep that night, but in Strider's room. We all shared a big cosy bed, so we could warm up because of the rain. You know how you feel when your mother helps you out of the bath and you feel cold? It was like that. My sleep was disturbed that night, with nasty sounding screeches. We all woke up at the same time, wondering what that dreadful sound was. Strider and Frodo were already awake; I don't think they even went to bed! The Nazgul, who had come to get us again, made the screeches. But they didn't find us, which was very lucky indeed."  
  
I took another drink of water and thought back. "Bright and early the next morning, we left Bree and headed into a forest. Strider lead us, and I also had Bill the Pony with me," I grinned. "Strider was a friend of Gandalf's, and he said he would take us to Rivendell, where the Elves live. Oh, but it was at least a weeks journey yet. That's seven days."  
  
I held up seven of my fingers so they could see just how many days it was until we could reach our destination.  
  
"That night, Strider lead us to Amon Sûl, in what was a great watchtower. We were given swords too, and I had never had to fight with one before so I didn't know what to do with it. It was the same for the other Hobbits; they had never had to fight before either. Mr. Frodo went to sleep, while I helped Merry and Pippin cook food. We had everything! Tomatoes, sausages, bacon... we like our food. When Frodo woke up, another screech was heard, like the one we heard in Bree. Strider was not with us, and we all got very scared. It was dark and we didn't know where the Nazgul were. Mr. Frodo told us to run up some stairs, which lead to the top of the watchtower. We did what he said, and for a few seconds we stood there, shaking while holding our big swords, not knowing what to do. We didn't even know how to use the swords. Then we seen them, five Nazgul walked slowly towards us, holding up their blades. I was the first to challenge one, but he hit my sword and as he threw me aside I hit a stone."  
  
I tapped the table next to me quite hard. "It was even harder than that," I said, and then looked back down at the book. "After a while, I managed to get up, and I ran over to Frodo, who had been stabbed by the Nazgul. Strider soon came, and started fighting them, even setting fire to one of them! After the Nazgul were chased off, I begged Strider to help Frodo. Strider is a great healer, but he could not help Frodo. He needed elvish medicine, but we were still an awfully long way away from Rivendell. Strider carried Frodo, as the rest of us walked behind. After a while, we stopped and I noticed Mr. Frodo was going very cold. And then we heard another Nazgul screech, so we knew they were near. Strider told us that a certain type of weed may be able to help slow the poison which was inside Mr. Frodo, so we searched for the plant. But then..." I drifted off. "Then, an Elf came. She had shining, long black hair, pale skin and blue eyes. She was very tall too, a lot taller than us Hobbits. Her name was Arwen; she is the daughter of Lord Elrond of Rivendell, and the very person we were going to see. She starting talking elvish, so I could not understand what she was saying."  
  
"Strider talked elvish back to her, so I had no idea what was going on. I was especially confused when she lifted Frodo on her beautiful white horse, and started riding off. I was so angry, the Nazgul were still out there! What if she got caught, and Frodo got hurt even more? But it was too late to stop it; Arwen was probably far away already. Her horse was very fast at riding."  
  
"Six long days later, we eventually arrived in Rivendell. We had not talked much during our travels, for we were worried about Frodo and Arwen. When we got there, Frodo was being treated in the house of Elrond, but he was still asleep and very sick. I hardly left his side in the coming days. But then, on the glorious day of October 24th, he woke up, with Gandalf by his side. Gandalf apologised for not meeting us at Bree, but it did not matter anymore, just as long as Frodo was all right. I felt sick with worry sometimes, especially when I was alone with him at night. I felt guilty, like it was my fault. I should have defended him, but you never think straight in those kind of situations do you?"  
  
"Bilbo Baggins turned out to also be staying with the Elves, so while Frodo went to see him, I packed my bag. I was packing to go home again, and now since Mr. Frodo was getting better, I thought we would be going home again. We Hobbits don't travel very far, and being so far away from home was strange to me. I missed home so much. Still, we spent another night there, and the next morning Frodo was invited to some secret meeting."  
  
Elanor was still sitting angelically, cross-legged, listening carefully to what I was saying.  
  
"I hid in the bushes for the whole meeting, listening to them discuss what they should do with the Ring. They were discussing some quest, to go to Mount Doom in Mordor, to destroy the Ring once and for all, but everyone suddenly started arguing. But then, brave Mr. Frodo volunteered to take the Ring himself. The others agreed, and some even offered to travel with him. Gandalf The Grey said he would help. Strider said he would accompany us again. Legolas also offered. Legolas is an Elf like Arwen, the prince of Mirkwood. He has long blonde hair, pale skin and blue eyes, and is very good at archery. The best I've seen. Boromir, a man a Gondor, offered too. Gimli was a Dwarf, who is about the same size as me, and he also offered. It just shows children, it doesn't matter how small you are, you can be just as powerful and brave as big folk."  
  
I mimed jumping out of bushes. "But then, I jumped out of the bush, startling Lord Elrond I imagine! I was not going to let Frodo go alone, I couldn't leave him again. I still felt bad about him becoming ill, because I wasn't able to defend him myself. Merry and Pippin jumped out from behind pillars and ran down next to Frodo also saying that they would come. They are a brave pair, them two. Lord Elrond smiled at all nine of us, and then declared we would be The Fellowship Of The Ring."  
  
I looked up and looked at my children. "And that is when the quest to destroy the Ring officially started," I said. "So then the next morning, we left Rivendell to start our quest. We travelled down hillsides, over open plains, in darkness and in daylight. We were hoping to go west of the Misty Mountains for about forty days, to make for the Gap Of Rohan. From there, we could be able to go to Mordor. It was terribly tiring, but we had big folk to protect us, and Bill the Pony could sometimes offer lifts if the tiredness was really getting to us, although we tried not to as he carried all the food."  
  
"We stopped at some rocks, for a rest and for some food. Legolas kept a watch out, like he normally did. He never seemed to rest much, he was always aware of his surroundings. Legolas then became quite aware of something moving fast in our direction. I asked Gimli what it was, but he said it was just a whiff of cloud. Still, I was unsure. It turned out to be Crebain from Dunland, and Strider ordered us to hide. I grabbed all of our belongings, put the fire out, and hid under a rock, where everyone else already was. What seemed like hundreds of black birds flew over us, cawing. They circled the hill where we were hiding a few times, then flew off. They didn't seem to have sensed us there. They were spies of Saruman, which meant where we were heading was being watched. Since it was now unsafe for us to continue the way we were going, we had to take the Pass of Caradhras."  
  
I put both my hands together and lifted them up so there were a few inches between them. "The snow was about this deep on Caradhras. It was a long hard journey, but then Saruman must have known we were coming this way, as he made an avalanche fall. Strider demanded Gandalf took us back, but he refused. He tried to chant out a spell, but lightning struck on top of Caradhras, sending a second avalanche down on us. I was buried in the snow for a few seconds before I managed to get my head up. It was freezing!" I said, putting both hands on my arms. "Mr. Frodo was asked to make a decision, and that was whether to travel through the Mines of Moria or not. He said yes, and we thought it would be for the best, as Gimli claimed he had a cousin there."  
  
"We arrived at the West Gate of Moria, and Gandalf stepped in front of the doors. You could only see it when there is starlight and moonlight though. We needn't have worried though, as the moon – as if it knew we needed it – appeared from behind the clouds and illuminated the doors. I could not read the writing on the doors as it was in Elvish, but Gandalf had no problems reading it. It read some sort of riddle, where you had to speak friend to enter. While he was trying to open the doors, Strider told me I had to let Bill the Pony go. I didn't want to leave him alone, but Strider assured me Bill knew the way home. Suddenly, the doors opened. It was dark in there, which wasn't what I expected after Gimli claimed he had a cousin there. But we all walked in anyway, slightly cautious. Something was wrong with this place, it could be sensed by us all. This was no mine. This was a tomb. Dead Dwarves scattered the floor, some with several arrows daggered in their bodies. Legolas picked an arrow up and said it was an arrow of Goblins. Strider and Boromir drew their swords, and Legolas got his bow and arrow out, and by this time the panic had grown on all four of us Hobbits."  
  
Elanor hugged her teddy again and I smiled at her.  
  
"The smell was revolting, and I could feel bones cracking from beneath my feet. What we didn't notice, however, was that something was stirring in the water outside the tomb..." 


	4. Chapter Four

Thanks for the reviews! Sorry this has taken quite a while to come.  
  
Chapter Four~  
  
"Boromir told us to get out, which he needn't have done because that's where us Hobbits were heading anyway," I grinned with humour in my voice. "But then, Frodo was dragged away by something. Something strong, and definitely not human. He was pulled out of the cave and was in the tentacle of a hideous monster. It was of a dark blue shade, with countless tentacles. There were too many for us to count."  
  
I could see Frodo grabbing tighter onto Rosie's dress as I described the monster to them.  
  
"I cut off a tentacle, refusing to let Frodo be taken by this thing. But then he knocked me over, and became angrier than ever. It was obvious us Hobbits couldn't beat this thing alone, we needed help. So Boromir, Aragorn and Legolas came to help, chopping and shooting as best they could. Eventually, the monster backed away, after enough damage had been done to it for it to become so weak it couldn't hold a fight anymore. It released Frodo and we all ran back into the tomb. The monster followed us, but he couldn't get in because it had slammed the gate shut and rocks dropped. It was dusty and we couldn't see a thing. The only sounds heard were our hard breathing as we trembled with fright. Luckily, Gandalf fixed a beam of light onto his staff, and we had some light. If he didn't, then we probably wouldn't have gotten very far!"  
  
Elanor was pouting her lips slightly, which I noticed had become a bit of a habit when she was concentrating.  
  
"The four day journey through the Mines Of Moria was a long one. Barely any words were spoken; we were too scared in case there were others in the mines that could hear us. Gandalf led us through, sometimes forgetting his way, but we did get by ok. Eventually, on the fourth day, we reached a huge hall. It was beautiful, with tall pillars and arched ceilings. It was the great realm and Dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf. I had never seen anything like it. But then, Gimli seen a way a sunlight shining through the Chamber of Mazarbul. It turned out Gimli's cousin was dead, and right in front of us was his tomb. We didn't really know what to say, I was so exhausted by then. Like how you two are when you've had a long day playing out in the sun and want to get tucked up in bed, that is how I, and the rest of the Fellowship, felt by then."  
  
Elanor smiled understandably and I flipped the page.  
  
"Gandalf read from a book that was lying on a skeletons lap. It was covered in dust; so much he couldn't even make out the writing without blowing the dust away. Suddenly, drums were heard. It was quite faint in the distance, but it sounded loud in a tomb as quiet as this. I looked at Mr. Frodo's sword, Sting, and seen it glow blue, which meant that Orcs were near. The drums were heard getting closer, and now we could hear more sounds. Boromir ran to lock the door and Aragorn told us to stay by Gandalf. I had been telling myself since this quest started I would be brave, but it was so hard to be. I was almost frozen on the spot with fear, as Aragorn and Legolas helped lock the door. I, and the rest of the Hobbits, drew our swords, but I was still in doubt of whether I was actually going to be brave enough to use it. Legolas stood on the spot with his bow and arrow ready, Aragorn and Boromir with their swords, Gandalf with his staff and Gimli with his axe. We all waited in silent fear for the enemy to break in. I knew they would, the door wasn't locked up very well."  
  
"Then, the Orcs broke in. Their skin was black, their faces scrunched up, everything about them was stomach churning. I could have thrown up just looking at them. But there was worse to come. A cave troll smashed through the door, startling us all. He was of a green colour, with what looked like an axe. He was huge; his head alone was bigger than me! The troll was going to hit me, and I looked up just in time to see. I meant to fight back, but he was too big and I was just too scared. I threw myself under his legs and ran away before he had a chance to hurt me."  
  
"The battle carried on, with Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas, Gandalf and Gimli doing most of the fighting. I seen an Orc coming towards me, and I hit it with a frying pan, of all things!" I giggled. "I had a sword right there waiting to be used, and I used a frying pan. Either way, it did the trick, and it knocked the Orc to the ground. Frodo probably put up the best fight out of the Hobbits, as Merry and Pippin threw rocks and I tried to hide."  
  
"Legolas shot the troll in the neck, and finally it died. Frodo was lying lifelessly on the ground, and I looked on feeling helpless. We all walked over, not really knowing what to do. Aragorn turned him over, and Frodo gasped for breath. I was so surprised I fell straight to the ground to look at him. He was alive!"  
  
Frodo and Elanor smiled at me and I took another drink of water.  
  
"The spear that Frodo had been stabbed with should have killed him, but then Frodo revealed a Mithril shirt that stunned all of us. Mithril is a special material, it is strong but very light, Frodo probably forgot he had it on most of the time because it was so light. Before we had a chance to do anything else, more Orcs were heard in the distance. We ran, heading to the Bridge Of Khazad-Dûm. A large army of Orcs were following us, crawling from the walls and running from every direction possible. Eventually we were surrounded; we had no chance against them. There must have been hundreds of them, just waiting for their chance to kill us. Even though we had very slim chances of defeating them, we drew our weapons anyway. But then something happened that scared the Orcs. A thunderous growl was heard, coming from an angry light at the end of the hall. Panicking, the Orcs fled, and we stared at the light. A Balrog was the demon's name, and according to Gandalf, beyond any of us. We couldn't even try to fight this one, so we ran. We ran down steep broken staircases as fast as we could, but we had to be careful because they were quite thin for nine Men, and the falls looked never ending. It wouldn't have been very nice to fall down there!"  
  
"There was quite a big gap in between the stairs, but one by one we jumped over it. Few Orcs were shooting at us, but Legolas shot back, making them fall deep into the pit. Once we were all over the gap, we ran across a very thin bridge. It was hard to run and keep your balance, but I was so scared I kept on running without stalling. Suddenly, the Balrog appeared. It was fiery red, and looked so evil I could barely bring myself to look at it. It had a flaming whip and sword, and used them to try and attack Gandalf, who was bravely trying to fight against it."  
  
"I thought the Balrog was dead when he fell back into the chasm, and so did Gandalf, as he started walking slowly back to us. Then at last minute, the flaming whip grabbed Gandalf's ankle, making him trip with only the edge of the bridge to hold on to. He didn't hold on for long, and soon fell into the chasm with the Balrog. Frodo was devastated, Boromir had to restrain him from going after him."  
  
"We eventually ran out of the East Gate of Moria, exhausted and fed up. We were all fed up, Merry, Pippin, Frodo and myself were crying. I had never seen anyone die before; it was a huge shock for all of us Hobbits. Everything was so different from how our life had been in the Shire. Aragorn said we should get moving, and we'd only been sitting down for one minute, if that. My legs were hurting from all the running and fighting, and we'd barely slept for days. Some nights I don't think Frodo did at all, I knew how much he hated being away from home. Aragorn pulled me up, and we continued our journey,"  
  
"After travelling through Dimrill Dale, we entered the Woods of Lothlorien. Frodo seemed to be acting a little strange, but maybe Gandalf's death was getting to him a bit. As if this hadn't been done to us enough in the last day, arrows were pointed at us. Elves surrounded us, with long blonde hair and blue eyes, just like Legolas. They took us to Caras Galadhon, and we walked up a winding staircase that was embedded in the trees."  
  
"When the Lord and Lady of Lothlorien came out to meet us, I was in awe, and I could sense the others were too. Galadriel, the Lady of Lothlorien, was the most beautiful Elf I had ever seen. She had long wavy blonde hair and blue eyes, and she seemed to have a little glow to her too. She seemed wise and powerful; I knew that just by looking at her. She told us to rest, and that was what we did."  
  
I glanced at Rosie, who didn't seem to mind the fact that I was showering Galadriel with compliments.  
  
"The next morning, I rode in a boat with Frodo and Aragorn, as we sailed away from Lothlorien. Galadriel stood and watched us go, but her gaze seemed fixed on Frodo. We travelled for some time, in silence again really. We reached the beach of Parth Galen, and we started to make a camp. Aragorn said that we should cross the lake at nightfall, hide the boats then continue on foot, which I wasn't very pleased about because we had done so much walking. But we didn't have much choice. He then announced that we would approach Mordor from the North. I don't think he said much after that, that's all I heard as I was dozing off because I was so tired. Merry returned with wood for the fire, then asked where Frodo was. I awoke straight away, and Frodo was nowhere to be found. Aragorn went to find him, and Boromir was gone too. There were not many of us left back at the camp. They had been gone for a while, so I went to search for Frodo. I didn't find him, but I stopped as I heard the clash of swords."  
  
"I heard a fight for a long time, while searching for Frodo, so I knew the enemy had found us again. I was desperate to find Frodo now; I was running through the woods screaming his name. I had searched everywhere possible so I was heading back to the spot where we had left the boats. I didn't go too far to look for him as I didn't want to get lost, I would have put myself in even bigger danger if I did that."  
  
"And it was at the camp I found him, rowing away on a boat. What did he think he was doing? There was no way he could do this alone. Gandalf had told me to look after him, not to let him out of my sight, and now that Gandalf was dead I felt more the need to do so."  
  
"I can't swim, but I stepped into the water anyway. Frodo was still floating away from me, so I had no choice but to attempt swimming after him. It was a couple of seconds before I started sinking, but Frodo pulled me up. When I was on the boat with him I couldn't hold the tears back. It was such an emotional journey and it had just barely started." 


End file.
